We always remember the greyish furred koalas
wrapping their arms and legs around the trunks of
eucalyptus trees. This sight of koalas is indeed
very lovely. Meanwhile, you may wonder why we call
a koala "the sleepyhead". Let's remind
ourselves right away that koalas sleep 18 hours
a day!

The fore and hind paws of koalas enable them to spend
a great part of their lives on eucalyptus trees.
This is the way Allah created their paws!

Koalas can quickly climb trees with their long
curled arms, and sharp claws and paws that hold tightly
on to the trees. The two fingers of their fore-paws
are separated from the other three. If we compare
a human hand to theirs, then we must talk about two
thumbs. These thumbs, which greatly differ from other
fingers, help them to cling to small branches. Like
a hook, koalas thrust their claws into trees
and thus hold on to the soft and smooth surfaces of
tree trunks. With their four paws, they can readily
clutch tree branches, just like we clutch a stick,
and climb trees after they wrap their paws around
their branches. These are what makes a koala's life
on trees easy!

Are Koalas lazy?

Although koalas are known to be lazy, they can move very quickly on trees. They can even jump from one branch to another, covering a distance of a metre (39 inches) in a leap. Female koalas give birth to a single baby in two years and, like kangaroos, they carry it in their pouch.

During the first months, the baby koala remains in its mother's pouch. After this period, the baby hitches a piggyback ride for a year. The mother picks a favourite tree in the eucalyptus forest for its home because she eats eucalyptus leaves - and that's about all she eats! That is why you can only find koalas in Australia, where eucalyptus trees are legion.

Although there are more than 600 species of eucalyptus
tree in Australia, koalas only eat certain leaves
from 35 of them. Koalas can't live just anywhere because,
apart from being a store of leaves, the eucalyptus
trees constitute a unique shelter for them.

Koala Species:

There are many kinds of koala species. Each species feed on a different kind of eucalyptus
leaf. If you are planning to move a koala away,
you need also to take the eucalyptus leaves
on which he feeds with you. Apart from their
diets, koalas rarely climb down eucalyptus
trees because they are hardly able to move around
on the ground. The eucalyptus tree's leaves
constitute different chemical substances.

These substances are poisonous and dangerous for all
animals except for koalas. Before swallowing, koalas
grind these leaves with their teeth. The harmful elements
in the leaves are filtered in the koala's liver and
expelled from the body. By the will of Allah, this
food, which is extremely poisonous for other animals,
does not harm koalas. Therefore, koalas can eat about
a kilogram (2.204 pounds) of poisonous leaves everyday
without trouble. Koalas even get their water from
these leaves. At certain times of the year, two thirds
of the eucalyptus leaf consists of water. Therefore,
only feeding on eucalyptus leaves, a koala can survive
for months without drinking water. The tops of eucalyptus
trees are vulnerable to wind. For this reason, koalas
have very thick fur.

This harmony between a poisonous plant and an animal
shows us that koalas and eucalyptus tree have been
created by the same Creator. This Creator, Who creates
everything perfectly, is surely Allah, the Lord of
all the worlds. Thanks to the article www.harunyahya.com